Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Chael Sonnen has come out and spoken about Ultimate Fighting Championships' (UFC) former bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. He says it was the media that made her and that her will rather than her skills took her to the top.

Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle isn’t even two months into the what will be the worst season of his coaching career, and yet he wants to keep the ride lasting as long as possible. Carlisle, the longtime head coach of the 2011 champion Dallas Mavericks, took two timeouts late in his team’s 120-89 blowout home loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, despite the fact that his team was, technically, out of timeouts. As a result, a technical foul was called – resulting in a free throw each time for the Kings, and a $2000 fine for the team.

Koji Uehara will pitch for the Cubs in 2017. WHAT A RELIEF: The Chicago Cubs have agreed to a deal with free-agent reliever Koji Uehara. The 41-year-old Uehara posted a 3.45 ERA over 47 innings with the Boston Red Sox last year.

Colin Kaepernick (No. 7) and 49ers teammates take a knee during the national anthem. The steady decline in NFL television ratings has been the biggest story of the football season, and arguably the biggest sports-business story of 2016. What is clear is that interest in watching primetime NFL games has waned, but what remains unclear are the exact causes, and which causes have had the largest impact.

With five minutes remaining in the first half of Thursday’s game, the Kansas City Chiefs appeared to be rolling to a rousing victory over the rival Oakland Raiders with first place in the AFC West hanging in the balance in a crucial battle. Linebacker Derrick Johnson went down at that point, slamming his helmet down, and appeared to know exactly what we all found out later: that he had just suffered a very bad injury, needing to be helped off the field and clearly looking despondent immediately afterward. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed that Johnson had ruptured his Achilles tendon for the second time in just over two years, which will end his season.

The top court in China has ruled in favour of former Chicago Bulls player Michael Jordan, allowing him the rights to the Chinese version of his name. The verdict, which was issued on 8 December, was in regards to a case the basketball legend was fighting against a local sportswear brand. Jordan in 2012 filed the lawsuit against Qiaodan Sports, saying the company had built its business around his Chinese name and his jersey number 23 without his permission.

Nelson felt referee “Big” John McCarthy let the fight go on too long. As Silva was on his back on the canvas, and McCarthy was tending to him, Nelson gave McCarthy a kick to the backside. Nelson issued a public apology to McCarthy on Dec. 2 in an attempt to get his sentence reduced further, but UFC president Dana White questions its motive.

Spencer Ware’s breakout season has made him a fantasy football star. Most teams do not have a backup like the Kansas City Chiefs do in Spencer Ware. With Charles missing much of the past two years due to injury, Ware has taken hold of the starting running back spot in Kansas City and thrived in it.

Kyle Palmieri found out just how protective Carey Price is over his crease. The New Jersey Devils forward danced around Jeff Petry on the way to the net. Palmieri appears to be trying to control the puck when he collides with Price.

Ronda Rousey has brushed off Amanda Nunes' taunts ahead of their showdown for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's bantamweight title on 30 December at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The American also suggested that she will not retire after her bout at UFC 207, but indicated that the end is near in terms of her UFC career. The belt has since changed hands on two occasions with Meisha Tate holding the title before being beaten by Nunes earlier in the year.

At TLC, Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton of the new and improved Wyatt Family captured the Smackdown Tag Team Championship by defeating Heath Slater and Rhyno. Given that Orton and Wyatt have taken to using Luke Harper as a belt rack already, there has been some speculation that the three members of the Wyatt Family might begin invoking the Freebird Rule, just as Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day have done for the better part of two years now.

Royce White’s last NBA action came with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2015 Orlando Summer League. Back in October of 2013, the Philadelphia 76ers waived Royce White just before the start of the season rather than carry him on their all-but-talent-devoid roster.

The chances were there all Thursday night for the Oakland Raiders, who lost 21-13 to the Kansas City Chiefs and slid from the No. 1 seed in the AFC to the No. 5 slot in the playoffs with only three games remaining. Carr struggled badly — but also was a victim to a ton of dropped passes — and didn’t surpass the 100-yard passing plateau until the fourth quarter. Stuff like that gets serious MVP mention, along with the great season Carr had put together prior to that point.